but i do find it so interesting that so many folks’ favorite is FFTS! i love all her books but i think the dream hunter, for my lady’s heart, and shadowheart have to be my faves… though POM is up there as my first intro to her, serendipitously picked up in a Florida bookstore devoted to used romance novels. bless the person with that business plan and bless whatever cosmic hand guided me to Kinsale that day…

but most of all i want to say THANK YOU so much to everyone on this little chat for giving me some great leads to follow up on and reviving my faith in the genre. i think we can all agree that LK stands alone but yes, i do need something to read until the publishing industry comes to its senses and gets her latest out there! many many thanks!

If you’re looking for amazing character development, Robin Hobb’s trilogies, The Farseer Trilogy, Liveship Traders Trilogy, and the Tawny Man Trilogy do it for me. Which leads me to this point: some authors use plot development and constant action to drag their readers through their stories. Although I can get caught up in the action, these books usually leave me feeling a bit empty at the end. It’s a rare author who can combine deep character development along with exciting action. I did not feel empty at all at the end of Hobb’s books; in fact, they’re the first books ever to make me cry.

And here’s my final point. Kinsale’s TSATS and Hart’s Broken are two books that don’t require boatloads of action to fill up the story (although you could say that the erotic aspects of Broken are plenty of action, but really are entirely necessary to understand the complexities of the characters). I never felt like either story was being driven by a plot. In my mind, both books achieved a certain stillness that permitted me to relish each word, and deeply explore the subtleties of the characters.

Victoria — I’ve never read Elizabeth DeLancey — will have to check her out. Georgette Heyer’s books are wonderful but a lot more humorous than Kinsale’s and don’t have the same angst.

Lori –I think the only books on your list that I’ve read are Monson’s Rangoon and Feather’s Virtue. I enjoyed both, and Virtue was a keeper for me. I did try Ryman’s Olivia and Jai once, but it didn’t grab me and I found the length (700+ pages, IIRC) intimidating, so I never finished. I have not heard of all the authors on your list, so it’s good to learn about them.

Thank you both!

I’ll second Selene’s recommendation of Juliet Marillier’s “Daughter of the Forest”. It’s a very grim fairytale but breathtakingly beautiful (grim as in, proving it through trials of life and not like the horror you find in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels). It has loads of Kinsale attributes that you say appeal to you, including loads of angst, emotional involvement, truly heroic characters and it’s so beautifully written. Fantastic book.

Kat said:
“I think I’m probably one of the few people who was left unsatisfied by the romantic plot of Shinn’s Archangel”

You and me both then Kat. For me, it needed lots more H and H interaction and dialogue for the romance to be satisfying. A developing love match shown by lots of sulking and avoidance of each other does not make a satisfying romantic read, despite the fabulous romantic “aahhh” ending. IMO.
The same goes for the romance in Sunshine by Robin McKinley IMO, far too much of the heroines thoughts about him and them together and not enough real interaction between the two of them. Apart from being unsatisfying romances I thought both books were otherwise great.
From what you’ve all been saying I’m hopefully thinking Kinsale will give me plenty of focus on the H and H’s interaction in the “show” not “tell” format.

I just love this series!